Electronic endoscope apparatus for connection to adapter unit

Abstract

A DVI circuit for generating a digital video signal in accordance with a display standard of a personal computer, etc. is provided for a processor device to which an electronic endoscope is connected. On the output side of the DVI circuit, a high vision system converter which is an adapter unit is connected as arbitrarily attached and removed using a connector. In the processor device, when the fixed state of a fixing screw is detected by a detection switch SW 1 , and it is determined that the power supply line connected using a connector to the high vision system converter is in the energized state, a live line processing circuit activates a signal line of the connector. Thus, the adapter unit can be easily attached and removed without turning off the processor device.

1. An electronic endoscope apparatus, comprising:
 an electronic endoscope loaded with a solid-state image pickup element for capturing an observation object; 
 a processor device for performing various types of video processing on a video signal input from the electronic endoscope; 
 an adapter unit configured to be connected to a connector unit of the processor device and fixed by a fixture, for performing predetermined signal processing; 
 a fixed state detection means for detecting whether or not the adapter unit is fixed to the processor device with the fixture; 
 a live line processing circuit for setting a live line/non-live line of a signal line in the connector unit of the processor device; and 
 a control circuit for activating a signal line of the connector unit of the processor device by the live line processing circuit when a fixed state of the adapter unit is determined from output of the fixed state detection means, and it is determined that a power supply line of the connector unit is in a energized state. 
 
   
   
     2. The electronic endoscope apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising
 a fixing screw as the fixture, and a detection switch for controlling on and off states by moving a movable unit by a press of the fixing screw as the fixed state detection means. 
 
   
   
     3. The electronic endoscope apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising a high vision system converter for converting an image obtained by various electronic endoscopes loaded with solid-state image pickup elements having different number of pixels as adapter units to a high vision television system, and the high vision system converter is connected with a connector to a differential signal output unit of the processor device for generating a video signal in accordance with a personal computer monitor.